So last night, over three hundred expectant people showed up at the Laguna Beach City Hall to hear the two 48th-district Congressional candidates – 22-year incumbent Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Democratic challenger Ron Varasteh – square off in a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Instead, they had to settle for watching Mr. Varasteh debate an empty chair. Crazy Rohrabacher never showed up, and we still haven’t heard an explanation from him.

It’s even worse than that, I can report – October 19 was the date that Dana INSISTED on through his wife/campaign manager Rhonda, after flaking on a previous October 6 commitment.

I’ve always given Dana propsfor being the ONLY OC Congresscritter with the stones to debate their opponent when they didn’t have to (the one exception being Loretta in 2010, who was shamed into debating Van Tran that year by Trannie protesters following her to every appearance in chicken suits.) Now Dana joins the true chickenshits Ed Royce, John Campbell and Darrell Issa … unless he has a damn good explanation, like washing up with his surfboard, blue and bloated.

People did wonder, and worry. People are wondering and worrying still. Where the fuck IS the bastard?

For one thing, we know of his addiction to “rogue foreign policy.” Remember where he was right before the 9-11 attacks? Mysteriously, he claims he was meeting with the Taliban. Whatever THAT was all about obviously didn’t turn out so hot.

Right now he’s obsessed with trying to start a war with Iran over oil, by encouraging Azerbaijani separatists. Is THAT what called him so urgently, and secretly, from the debate? That and not having to answer questions about this latest madness, which would certainly have been asked?

Has somebody checked Sirhan Sirhan’s cell? If you remember (and if you don’t you’ll think I’m making it up) he carried his lifelong obsession with the RFK murder to new extremes in 2007 by sneaking into the deranged assassin’s cell disguised as a female human-rights activist and then browbeating the poor schmuck over his conspiracy theories.

Others who know him well speculate he’s just shitfaced on tequila and hashish somewhere, and/or shoveling food into his face the way he does, while talking a mile a minute and getting chewed-up gobs of cud onto his clothes and interlocutors. Others, who CLAIM to know him even better, wonder if he’s not just off in Mexico trolling for boys again – but you didn’t hear it here!

Ron V, the candidate who cared enough to show up.

Pretty much everybody wishes he would have come and debated Ron, if only for the laughs, and the drinking game. You know, the drinking game where you down one EACH TIME he blames a social or economic ill on illegal immigration, which would be even more hilarious now that immigration legal and otherwise has ZEROED OUT, a fact he just can’t compute.

Or to enjoy him pooh-poohing the very idea of global warming after we’ve just suffered through the most miserable 5-month long heat wave ever. Or to marvel at him making jokes about torture. Or to hear him spout such easily refuted whoppers as he did on Bill Maher last time – Ron may be a political novice, but ANY child could bat down such tired old FOX-News canards as his “Obama has GUTTED the military.”

Wherever you are, Dana, CALL HOME! We will print your excuse as soon as we get it. Meanwhile, everyone in coastal OC should consider voting for The Guy Who Shows Up, and would never do any of the crazy shit described above, Ron Varasteh!

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Sunday morning update – we’ve just got the first taste of an excuse from Dana. One Jim Fisler writes on Juice-friend Sue Lester’s Facebook page, underneath my story: “this story is bogus. in case anyone cares.”

A wide-eyed Sue responded: “Jim, I care and would hope others do too considering both men are running for election to represent our district. Please share what happened if this article is not accurate. I would appreciate it.”

And Jim lets out the test balloon: “In talking with Dana and Rhonda yesterday, Dana said he was always happy to debate his opponents even though many long time incumbents don’t. But NOT at an event put on by a partisan liberal group like the League of Women Voters. He did not stand them up, they knew he was not coming yet promoted it like he was for the setup of the untruthful story. Hoping some would buy in such as you did.”

What do you all think? It’s totally not true that he ever let them know he wasn’t coming. In fact he insisted on the 19th being the date. And when did the highly respected, strenuously nonpartisan League of Women Voters, who’s put on THOUSANDS of non-biased political debates, become “partisan” and “liberal?” This is utter bullshit! And he’s covering for something embarrassing. You wanna try again Dana? I’m calling your office in the morning.

19 Comments

Most of the spectators think he was on a tequila drunk! He did not show up at the Bullying Rally earlier…even though he was invited.

The League of Women voters had a confirmation from Rohrabacher for attendance…he did not call to let anyone know he was blowing the debate off…… It was at HIS request that the debate was changed from Oct. 6th to Oct. 19th….as his campaign manager indicated the date that worked best for them was the 19th.

I wonder if he would have showed up if we had said we were serving food and booze at the event!!!

At any rate it was a good opportunity for Ron to speak, get some publicity and meet with the community! Most all agreed he did a good job….I only wish that we could have had the opportunity to expose his Azerbiajan war drumming activities and the real motivation behind that……….which is the huge oil discovery made this May by Iran….10 billion barrels in the Caspian Sea….and The Republic of Azerbiajan wants that oil that belongs to Iran.

The only thing almost as ridiculous as Rohrabacher chickening out without notifying anyone would be if the OC Weekly sent a correspondent to cover the debate and that correspondent ended up writing a piece that spent most of its commentary on the candidates bashing Varasteh (and, of course, it being the Weekly, me.)

“Dana said he was always happy to debate his opponents even though many long time incumbents don’t. But NOT at an event put on by a partisan liberal group like the League of Women Voters. He did not stand them up, they knew he was not coming yet promoted it like he was for the setup of the untruthful story.”

Ah yes, “the full Choi.”

So … putting aside his having actively rescheduled the debate and pretending that this makes sense, why didn’t Rohrabacher tell anyone that the announcement that he would debate was bogus before his no show? Even Choi did that much!

If you don’t debate your opponents, whats the point of a debate? Dana, are you simply unable to make a coherent answer up, or is this just admitting that you ‘dont campaign much anymore, I don’t really have to’?

ok, ok,,,,,the truth….dana borrowed the yatch and was surfing a little secret spot we have about two hundred miles south of ensenada. waves were good and he just didn’t make it back. his commitment to the ocean, and thus the environment, supersedes his political obligations. we should all be thankful that we have such a conscientious and committed representative

I did call Dana’s office. What they kinda settled into is, “The LOWV is crazy. We never scheduled that debate. It was never written down on Dana’s schedule.” They’re not going with insulting the LOWV and calling them partisan. They’re not going with pretending that this was a setup. I said, “So, miscommunication?” And they said, “No, there was never any communication that we were going to do this debate.”

I hope that LOWV has some documentation, and I hope that they will send it to us. Or are they going to just let this drop? Hm. Maybe they ARE the ones who screwed up. Girls???

Given the change of the date of the debate to one asserted to be amenable to Rep. Rohrabacher, a number of questions come to mind:

– Did they ever discuss having a debate against Varasteh with the LWV?
– Did they ever discuss Oct. 6 as a date for that debate?
– Did they ever agree to Oct. 6 as a date for that debate?
– Did they ever discuss changing the date to Oct. 19, whether or not, in their opinion, it involved their explicit acceptance of that debate?
– Were they aware that the LWV was advertising a debate for Oct. 19?
– Did any constituents or media contact their office regarding the debate?
– When did the either of the above events occur?
– When did they first learn that Rep. Rohrabacher had been expected to show up on Oct. 19?
– When, if at all in advance of the debate, did they first take action to disabuse anyone of the expectation that he would show up on that date?

Good Lord. No shame. Pitiful, I knew he was scheduled for this but he no-showed?

And Jim lets out the test balloon:
“In talking with Dana and Rhonda yesterday, Dana said he was always happy to debate his opponents even though many long time incumbents don’t. But NOT at an event put on by a partisan liberal group like the League of Women Voters. He did not stand them up, they knew he was not coming yet promoted it like he was for the setup of the untruthful story. Hoping some would buy in such as you did.”

Yeah, sure…that’s what you want to do RIGHT BEFORE AN ELECTION to your constituents, be scheduled for a debate and no show, then have some hackensteins arrogantly proclaim that the “great looney” doesnt show to partisan liberal groups, and “they” knew all about it. right.

Why in the hell, would LOWV waste their resources to promote Dana Rorbacher if he wasn’t going to show, again? How sad for you, Dana and company-no one is buying that load of horse poo.